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  Kat followed the tunnel to a ladder with bloodlust fueling her. She climbed to the surface where a manhole opened into a group of apple trees. No Un-Men or guards battled in the immediate area, so she took the time to check over her weapon. Her heart slowed since the danger was gone for the moment. The blue Ult L-E faded as the Ultra-Epi dissipated in her blood.

  A gentle wind rustled the leaves of the apple trees, drawing her attention. Red fruit littered the branches. Her face softened from that of a warrior in the rages of battle to a woman in mourning.

  "Preacher loved apples," Kat thought. "He ate one almost everyday." She looked to the Bible, closed her eyes, and held the bloodied book to her chest. "Topa will die this time. Nothing will stop me." She rushed toward his office, determined to finish him off this time. "Nothing!"

  Smoke from gunfire and small explosions lingered in the air as she hurried by several bodies and one Un-Man they managed to disable. Electrical snaps flew from several holes in its head. The humans’ red blood and the Un-Man’s black oil mixed in a small pool.

  Kat felt a smidgen of guilt. "Those men wouldn’t be dead if the Un-Men weren't hunting me." The guilt left her as hatred returned, drowning the small voice that uttered save them. She ducked behind a hedge as four men rushed past her.

  Fright paled their faces, and one shouted orders over his Winnow Mask’s intercom.

  "We have to pull back from the gates and meet at the armory. We need heavy artillery."

  The group of men hurried on. Kat stepped from the hedge, turned to continue to Topa’s office, but paused, narrowing her eyes.

  lub-DUB... lub-DUB...

  Ultra-Epi coursed through her blood as her eyes produced a cerulean lambency. "Un-Men," she said with loathing. "There’s two of them." Fear didn’t fill her heart, but rage. The warrior’s side of her returned as she gripped the gun ready to eliminate anyone or anything that stood in her way. "Topa must die!"

  An Un-Man stepped from the side of a building to her left and another stepped from a cluster of trees.

  Kat had encountered five different models of Un-Men over the past year. The Rogue they discontinued. It was a Type Four. The one to her left was a Type Two. It was a six foot six, thin model with dark brown skin, and a South African accent. The other one was a Type Five. It was a six foot, large, muscular model with a Russian accent.

  "Target acquired. I and another unit have cornered the Pandora Project," the dark skinned Type Two or T-2 relayed over its I-Link.

  "Commencing attack," the T-5 stated.

  "You won’t stop me!" Kat raised the Beretta, firing once to the left and once to the right. "I’m going to kill Topa!"

  Black liquid sprayed from their foreheads. They fell to the ground, arms flailing, and then they lay still as downed trees.

  "Stay out of my way!" Kat rushed on. "All of you, stay out of my way!!"

  Chapter Ten

  Caught In A Cross Fire

  10:36 A.M...

  Twenty-five minutes earlier...

  At the northwestern corner of Topa’s estate, Kim pulled her black knapsack from the pile of leaves she hid it in, threw the grappling hook over the wall, and climbed the cord to the top. She spotted four cars parked by the north gate with twelve men getting out. They carried Uzis. She dropped back down into the estate.

  "Great, just great! Who are those guys?" She whipped up on the rope, forcing the grappling hook to fall down and stowed it in the knapsack.

  Gunfire erupted at the north gate.

  "Whoever they are, I better get out of here." She raced for the center of the estate. "I’ll try going over the south wall."

  Gunfire continued as Topa’s men screamed, some in panic and some as their last cry. Kim ducked into a tool shed before six men rushed past her. Weedwackers, a lawnmower, shelves, axes, and other lawn tools filled the outbuilding. She waited in the dark structure till she heard the men move on into the distance then left quietly.

  A man came running up from the other direction. "I’ve spotted an intruder," he shouted over the WM-B’s intercom.

  Another joined him.

  Kim fired four times, hitting the first man twice in the stomach, and he fell, screaming as blood poured from his abdomen. The other two bullets hit the second man in the shoulder and heart. The man’s screams alerted three more to her position. She shot one in the face. The second guard tackled her, and they struggled for the gun till a shot discharged. Kim moaned and rolled the dead man off of her. By then, the third guard had his weapon trained on her.

  "Toss your gun!" he shouted. "Now stand up."

  She stood, raising her hands.

  "I should kill you where you stand, but Topa will want to interrogate you."

  She grinned, thinking, "If he only knew."

  He grabbed her knit mask, pulling it off her head, and her blonde hair frizzed out.

  Kim said, "You shouldn’t have done that."

  He smirked. "Done what, sweet thing?"

  She stared at him coldly. "You shouldn’t have seen my face." Kim ducked, twirled, sweep kicking his legs from under him, and drew the Military Defender from the sheathe on her right calf. She jumped on top of the man and slit his throat before he could react. Kim looked at him with no emotion or remorse. She had been trained well. "You see, I can’t let anyone live who’s seen my face."

  A gentle breeze swept in, drying the splattered blood on her cheek. She stood from the dead man and scowled. "This assignment’s turning into a Wetworks." Blood dripped from her knife, so she bent and wiped the blade on the man’s pants. She turned abruptly, hearing someone run toward her. She stood ready to attack the next guard.

  Kat noticed her as Kim stood from the man she had just killed. Kat halted, raised the Beretta, and aimed at her. She looked at Kim's knife and wondered, "Is she a guard? She's not very well armed if she is." Kat glanced over her shoulder. "Doesn’t matter. I don’t have much time to get by this obstacle." She faced Kim, thinking, "The Un-Men are closing in."

  Kim froze, looked to the ground where the PPK lay, then at the Military Defender she held, and thought, "She's too far away to lunge at, but I could throw my knife. Wait, this is the woman from Topa’s office. The one who couldn’t kill him."

  Kat tilted her head, studied her face, and asked, "Have we met?"

  Kim didn’t reply and thought, "If she couldn’t kill him, what chance is there she’ll shoot me?"

  "Do you work for the Council?" Kat asked, unsure whose side she was on. Kat lowered her gun a bit, then raised it, and made a face as her heart hammered the bio-mecha warning.

  lub-DUB... lub-DUB...

  "They’re here." Her Ult L-E raged with sapphire fire.

  "Now’s my chance!" Kim pounced, lunging with her knife.

  Instinct took over, Kat side stepped to the right, and fired as Kim charged. She reacted to her lunge much faster than Kim thought she would. Kim feared this was her end, but continued her attack. The bullet barely missed her face as she brought her knife down. Kat blocked the chopping blade with the gun and kicked her in the stomach. Kim stumbled back and noticed the PPK at her own feet. Gunfire from an Uzi erupted from the trees behind Kim, and she dove to the ground. Kat fired again, hitting the Un-Man in the forehead, and raced to Topa’s office. Kim rolled, picked up the PPK, and searched the area for her adversary. She was gone. Sparks shot up just inside the trees, and Kim investigated, finding two men dead.

  "Two?" She saw both had a single shot through the head. "So that woman wasn’t aiming at me?" Kim then realized, "I was wrong. She can kill. So why didn’t she kill me? I did try to kill her."

  Black blood trickled from the men’s heads.

  "Wait. These aren’t men." Kim stepped closer. "Hades! What are they?" She knelt. "Robots?" She stood and walked to the dead guard who was still holding her knit mask. Kim touched her blood speckled cheek and realized, "She saw my face! Hades! She saw my face, and I let her escape!"

  * * *

  Kat rushed into Topa’s office with her
gun at the ready. She found no guards within and Topa leaning back in his chair with his brains splattered across the wall. She stood there, aiming at the man. They were both frozen in the moment. Sadness and regret washed over her. She breathed in as the gore kept her fixated.

  Tick... Tick...

  An old clock sounded, filling the otherwise silent room with the passage of time. She lowered the Beretta as she wondered, “Am I relieved someone else killed him? Or am I upset that the privilege was taken away from me? I don't understand my feelings. Maybe I feel a little of both. So who did kill him? Was it the Un-Men?" She walked to his desk, examining the bullet holes. "I don’t think so. Two shots to the head. It looks like the work of a Closer."

  Tick... Tick...

  The clock sounded away the seconds. Kat looked at the black and white photos of Topa’s male relatives. She turned her attention to her gun. Time allowed her hatred and sorrow to turn into regret and self loathing. Kat set the safety and tucked the gun. "Could I kill someone?" She walked to Topa and stared at his terror filled face. "Someone offed him with no remorse. But am I that kind of person? Am I a killer? I came so close to becoming one." Kat was ashamed of her revenge filled thoughts.

  Tick... Tick...

  She caught a glimpse of a red speckled business card with a flaming bird resting on his desk. She picked it up. It was a calling card left behind by a Life Closer. It was left behind for the N.C.P.F. so they would know it was a Closing authorized by the Assassins Guild. A barcode on the back of the card could be read by a specialized H.H.C. (which the Noir Civil Police Force carried) and prove the Closing's authenticity.

  Deep in thought, Kat held the card. So much clouded her mind it took her a while before she realized, "The flaming bird!" She quickly removed the business card she had found at Etna Toys a year ago and compared the two. Her heart leaped with excitement. “They're almost identical. It must be the Phoenix!"

  She reviewed the day’s events. "The lady I fought..." Kat remembered her face and how she seemed familiar. "She must be the Phoenix." Kat rushed out of the office. "I have to find her. I have to ask her again if she knows me."

  Twenty minutes later...

  Petroleum clung to the breezy air as the barriercumulus rolled overhead. Kat made it out of the estate through the south gate and ran into the pale glow of a pine forest. She followed an old truck road. It came to a fork just as a red VX Corvette, with the license plate FromAshes, sped off, kicking up dirt. Kat paused and glanced at the two business cards.

  "Phoenix, I’ve finally found you." She stared at the trail of smoke and dust. "Now, how do I find you again?"

  The wind wailed, blowing her short brown spiky hair. Kat stared down the road till the dust settled. She placed the business cards in her back pocket and made her way to the north side of the estate. She walked up to the gnarled oak and grabbed her backpack and jacket. She sensed the Un-Men were near and hurried back into the woods.

  Tall scraggly Lantern Pines filled the forest and scented the air. Scientist created Transgenic Plants, or hybrids, that could survive without the sun. They created the Lantern Pines by genetically modifying a yellow pine with the extra-genome of a lanternfish, producing a tree that created its own light. The bioluminescence lasted several days after the needle’s death, so even the forest floor produced a ghostly glow.

  The Dry Clouds ceased their grumbles, forever looming over the land like a menacing specter. An owl hooted as she dashed by its roost. She fled from the estate till she sensed the Un-Men ceased their pursuit. The Ultra-Epi Light Emissions dissipated as her heart ended its warning. Kat slowed to a walk and a possum scurried past her. She stopped in a small clearing, undid the Velcro of her armor, removed the black Ravlek Vest, and looked down at her bloodied t-shirt. She pulled a clean one from her backpack, took off the soiled one, and put on the new. She held the bloodied t-shirt and Bible to her chest and sat against a tree on a bed of glowing needles.

  "Preacher, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry," she whispered as she closed her eyes to sleep. “I'm alone in the world again. I miss you. I miss you so much." Time slowly passed, but she couldn’t sleep. "Why do I still feel that your death is my fault? Why do I feel like somehow I'm to blame?"

  Over the past year, she learned the Ultra-Epi that coursed through her blood gave her abilities, but also caused side effects. It took her a while, in the beginning, to discover the Music Box countered the effects. All she had to do was listen to the tune, go into a trance like state, and make herself vulnerable to attack.

  Kat felt anxious, the first side effect of the Ultra-Epi. She stared up at the canopy of ghostly pines. "Preacher forgive me." She wept without tears. "Forgive me for not saving you."

  Within the serenity of the forest, in the calming effects of crickets chirping and the wind rustling pines, a realization sunk in. "Oh Preacher, what would you think of me? In my anger, I hurt people. I let people die. And I almost killed a man today." Her nose ran, and she wiped it. "Something I promised myself I would never do under any circumstance." Kat hugged the book tighter. "Oh Preacher, can you forgive me? God, please forgive me."

  She removed the Music Box from her pocket, opened its lid, and let the melody lull her. She didn't care if she was caught and only sought relief from her anguish. Her eyes drooped as she entered the Drifting Time and left behind sorrow, regret, and hatred.

  Chapter Eleven

  The Siblings

  Russia, the Light Side of the planet...

  October 13...

  Wednesday...

  10:42 A.M...

  Two pilots sat in the cockpit of a V.T.O. (Vertical Take Off) thirty passenger plane. Engineers designed the aircraft to fly through the polluted barriercumulus of the world’s Dark Half. The pilots prepared for takeoff on one of many circular pads among hundreds of other V.T.Os. landing and taking off.

  In first class, Natasha pulled up the shutter of the plane’s small window. She looked to the sun as it rose over Moscow and pulled her white fur-lined, long, black coat close to her neck. "Look Nikolai." Her Russian accent was thick. "Is it not beautiful?"

  "Yes, Tasha," her twin brother said. He wore a white pin striped gray business suit, and a gray Fedora hat rested on his lap. "As beautiful as you."

  "I heard the place we are going is grisly."

  "Yes, so remember that image." He motioned to the ball of orange. "Where we are going you will not see the sun again." He burned the image in his mind. "Noir exists in endless night."

  She turned to him and her face was full of worry. "Nikolai, I have a bad feeling about this trip."

  He stroked her long black hair and took her hand. "I know you do not like to fly. Be brave my sister."

  "It is more than that." She looked into her brother’s dark brown eyes. "I feel the place we are going is full of wickedness."

  He squeezed her hand gently. "Do not fear my sister, I will always be by your side."

  The engines of the V.T.O. roared as the airport’s tower cleared the plane for take off. The copilot double checked the two moveable nozzles on each wing. They produced the thrust for vertical liftoff. He pulled the V.T.O. lever down, turning the nozzles horizontal, and pushed the lever up to return the nozzles to vertical. The copilot gave the all clear, the pilot ignited the thrusters, and the aircraft lifted straight up into the sky. The plane rumbled and shook with the effort.

  Natasha buried her head in her brother’s shoulder.

  After a few minutes, the copilot pulled the V.T.O. lever down, and the aircraft shot across the horizon.

  Nikolai leaned over, closing the shutter. "It is over, we are in the air."

  "I would not be here if it was not Voice who asked us to go to Noir for this Closing." She glanced at the shutter. "Be where only plastic separates us from falling to the ground."

  "Take courage, my sister." He reached into his coat pocket. "I will give you some sleeping pills, then you can let this flight go by while you dream."

  "You think my fear will be any less in
sleep? I will only have nightmares of crashing."

  He gently squeezed her hand, so she would look at him. "Tasha, have I ever let anything happen to you?"

  She stared into his strong face. "No."

  "Do not fear then. I will protect you. Rest. I will watch over you."

  "Yes, rest." She closed her eyes, remembering a wolf name Salandra from a Russian tale and quoted a line Salandra had said. "I will fight back death in my dreams."

  Nikolai remembered the same story where a raven named Draven replied to the wolf. He said, "And I will keep death away from my branch."

  She took the pills from him and popped them into her mouth.

  "Let us change seats," Nikolai requested. "Once you are asleep, I would like to look out the window. Witness this Curtain they speak of that divides the world."

  She nodded. He grabbed his hat, stood, removed a briefcase from the overhead compartment, and switched seats with her. Natasha asked for a pillow and a blanket from a female attendant. The attendant returned with the items. Natasha took them, put her seat back, and soon fell asleep.

  Nikolai opened his briefcase and removed an old detective novel called Blood Harvest by Kit Sire. He opened the book to the first chapter titled, The Woman Wore Green and the Man Gray. Nikolai read the first chapter to himself, "It ain’t no easy street for a gumshoe. Long days and even longer nights... That’s me, an old bloodhound for hire. Throw me a couple of scraps, and I’m yers for the day, week, whatever it takes. If yer looking for a dame or a mucker, I’ll track them down."

  Nikolai leaned back and grinned. "Kit knew how to write a good story. I feel like one of the mobsters in his novels." He straightened his white tie and in a gangster accent said, "I’m a Hood that brings the Big Sleep. A Cat ready to blow one down. In a couple of days, I’ll finally have Tommy, and I’ll be my own Chopper Squad." He continued reading.

  A boy with his mother, sitting across the aisle from him, glanced at his book.

  "What’s that?" The boy pointed.

  Nikolai peered up from the text. "This?" He lifted the book. "It’s a novel."